The coalition of the willing has dropped by one ...
President Bush recentlyclaimed that there were 36 nations with troops on the ground.
Well, over at TPMmucraker Spencer Ackerman sought to count them and could only find 34. Many of those with quite marginal presence:
Italy: "Eight officers currently serving in support of [Nato] mission in Baghdad. Considering sending up to 16 more."
Portugal: "Sending up to 10 soldiers to Iraq to support [Nato mission].
Slovakia: "Sending two instructors to Iraq, $53,000 in support funding."
Turkey: "Two officers serving in Baghdad; offered to train Iraqis in Turkey. Pledged $125,000 in April 2005."
Well, 34 is now down to 33. Iceland's one is on his way home.
Iceland: "Public information officer will serve with NATO mission in Baghdad. Offered $196,000 to fund training outside the country and help transport equipment to Iraq."
What will the Coalition do without that "public information officer"?
Will Petraeus be able to spin the surge adequately?
From TPMmucraker:
We had come so close to finding 34 of President Bush's 36 countries with troops in Iraq. But now it appears we won't be at 34 for long: next month, Iceland, part of the NATO mission to Iraq, is pulling out its one lone soldier
Yes, the Icelandic Review tells us:
Foreign Minister Ingibjörg Sólrún Gísladóttir has decided to remove an Icelandic Crisis Response Unit (ICRU) member from a NATO training program for the Iraqi army in Baghdad next month, causing disappointment among NATO leaders.
The ICRU member has been working in Baghdad for the last two years, primarily as a media representative, and will cease working there October 1
Yes, today, the coalition of the willing lost another one.
Andy Cobb has a moving tribute to this event ...
Thanks to AmerciaBlog for the tip.